| Abstract: | The effect of ultrafiltration (UF) operation on the stability of a sizing agent based on starch has been studied. Hydroxypropyl starch (HPS) has been used as a water soluble modified starch. The investigation was carried out in two categories: - a) effect of UF time (the concentration of the solution was kept constant by recirculating the permeate), and
- b) raising the concentration by discharging the permeate.
The changes in the HPS solution properties were assessed by investigating the rheological properties (apparent viscosity as a function of filtration time, temperature and activation energy of flow) and molecular properties (Infra-Red spectroscopy (IR), number of average molecular weight (Mn) and molecular weight distribution). The investigation was carried out on HPS solutions before, after and during the ultra-filtration process. The results indicated that some degradation takes place during UF process. |
